Port Orchard Independent, November 22, 2013

Port Orchard Independent, November 22, 2013

November 22, 2013 edition of the Port Orchard Independent

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2013 N VOL. 122, NO. 45 N WWW.PORTORCHARDINDEPENDENT.COM N 50¢
Independent
Port Orchard
Staff Writer
INSIDE MJHS track seeks to build community partnership A8 BUSINESS Local youth bands come together for food drive A21 SPORTS Canton sees promise in 2014 football season A22
A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries
Cody Wright from Milford, Utah, got a mouth full of mud and a zero score after falling off Strawberry Delight in the Saddle Bronc Riding competition Wednesday night at the Kitsap County Stampede. The fair runs through Sunday.
Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis
Printed with recycled paper and environmentally friendly soybean oil-based ink.
Inside
A4 A4 A5 A6 A7 A7 A8 By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN
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Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting
Tensions between two Port Orchard neighbors that erupted after one attempted to open a home business last year led both women to head down to the Kitsap County Courthouse Monday and file restraining orders against each other. Shelia Cronan, 49, said she filed a restraining order against Amber Keehn after returning home from a camping trip Aug. 17 and discovering pellets had been
SEE NEIGHBORS, PAGE A2
Both sides report feeling harassed in rift over home business.
Expanded Classifieds in Kitsap Week
SOUTH KITSAP’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890
Thanksgiving Week activities
n The Port Orchard Eagles will assist South Kitsap Helpline with distributing Thanksgiving baskets for needy families from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 25 and 26, at the National Guard Armory, 1950 Mile Hill Dr. Thanksgiving Eve n Four South Kitsap churches will host a joint Thanksgiving Eve community worship service next week. Congregations from the Spirit of Life Lutheran, Elim Lutheran, St. Bede Episcopal and First Lutheran Community churches will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, at the First Lutheran Community Church, 2483 Mitchell Road SE, Port Orchard. Singing, a special speaker, dessert and an auction are planned. All proceeds will benefit South Kitsap Helpline, Lifecare Food Bank and Children of the Nations. Thanksgiving Day n Bethany Lutheran Church is scheduling a Thanksgiving service at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 28. The church is located at 151 Tremont St. W. n MoonDogs, Too, 714 Bay St., will host a free Thanksgiving dinner for needy families and individuals on Thursday, Nov. 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, dessert and drinks. Donations will be accepted. n La Palapa Mexican Grill, 150 Harrison Ave., along with South Kitsap Helpline will host a Thanksgiving dinner for needy families from 12-3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28. The dinner is free and will include roasted turkey with all the trimmings. For more information, call 360-443-2272. To arrange for free transportation to and from the restaurant, contact Katie at 206-948-7332. n The Port Orchard Eagles will have a Thanksgiving dinner at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28, for all Eagle members and guests who may not have a place to go on that day. The club will provide turkey with stuffing, ham and mashed potatoes with gravy, but is asking members and guests to bring a side dish or dessert to the dinner. The Eagles Hall is located at 4001 Jackson Ave. SE.
activities she reported as stemming from Keehn’s attempts to operate a business out of her home. Weaver said following an April 11 hearing with the city’s Hearing Examiner, certain conditions were placed on Keehn’s permit to mitigate Cronan’s concerns before she would be allowed to operate her business. “(Keehn) has addressed all but one of those conditions, with the last being the letter from the (Kitsap County) Health Department,” Weaver said, explaining that Keehn’s current sewer facilities are
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2
Volunteers come out in force to tackle impossible task
Staff Writer
shot in three of her home’s windows. Cronan, who lives on the 200 block of Flower Meadows Street in Port Orchard, said she believed the attack was part of an ongoing dispute with Keehn, whom she alleges has been running a hair salon out of her home without a business license and in defiance of a city “stop-work” order. Keehn, 30, said she filed for permission from the city of Port Orchard to operate a hair salon out of her home on the 2300 block of Flower Avenue soon after purchasing it last spring. City Development Director James Weaver confirmed that Keehn received a conditional-use permit to operate a onechair hair salon out of her home, which he described as “pretty innocuous” and something that doesn’t typically reach “the level of intensive use,” as far as impacts on the neighborhood are concerned. However, since November of 2007, Cronan has filed multiple complaints with the city regarding traffic, noise and other
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
Expectations were turned on their head in two Kitsap County political contests during Tuesday night’s primary election, as the perceived front-runners came in third and were disqualified in their respective races. Republican Tim Matthes drew the most votes in the South Kitsap commissioner’s race, followed by Democrat Charlotte Garrido. Monty Mahan, who was the first to declare for the seat and earned the endorsement of local mayors, came in third (See related story, page A3).
Staff Writer
By CHARLIE BERMANT
▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
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The South Kitsap School District is a little closer to closing its $2.9 million deficit for the upcoming school year. Terri Patton, assistant superintendent for business and support services, said at Wednesday’s school board meeting that the district won’t replace five full-time custodians who left the district after the last school year. She said that will save the district $250,000. Patton said the deficit stems from unforeseen circumstances when the district presented its last levy to voters in 2004. She cited escalating teacher salaries
But last Saturday, more than 90 volunteers — men, women and children — found the task During the past several was just too overwhelming. months, an elderly Port Orchard Volunteers from the Naval woman has been sleeping in her Hospital Bremerton, USS John car. C. Stennis and Walmart, along N o t with sevbecause eral Port she’s home- “All we have to do is when Orchard less, but police offibecause she we see a problem as a cers and is unable to community, we need to their friends get inside address it as a community. We may have her home been unable because of should not sit there and think to get the a mental the problem is going away. w o m a n disorder — Because it’s not going away.” back into hoarding. her home, For the –POPD officer Bill Schabily but cleaned past two up her Saturdays, backyard local volunteers have rallied on Saturday and filled up two together in an effort to get the SEE VOLUNTEERS, A10 woman back inside her home.
By DANNIE OLIVEAUX
Editor
JEANETTE DALTON BRUCE DANIELSON
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Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.
SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
and pension rates along with inflation as issues. In addition to the money saved on custodians, Patton said the district will dip into its reserve fund for $1.72 million. She said that’s not all bad because the district saved more than it anticipated in its last fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Patton said they also will save through not filling other vacant positions in the district, and through cutting expenses on supplies. The board unanimously adopted the budget. Patton warned in previous meetings that the “hard decisions” likely won’t end
An unidentied woman was one of more than 90 volunteers who gathered at the home of an elderly Port Orchard woman who had been sleeping and living in her car because of hoarding.
Angel asks WSF to ‘sit down and discuss’ ferry routes
By DANNIE OLIVEAUX
Editor
District 26 State Rep. Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard) sent a letter to the state’s ferries division stating she was disappointed by the “open house” meeting held last month concerning the Southworth/Vashon/Fauntleroy ferry routes. The open house was Oct. 29 at Harper Church near Southworth. In Angel’s letter dated Oct. 31 to David Mosley, Washington State Department of Transportation assistant secretary of the ferries division, she stated South Kitsap
residents who use the ferries would be affected by the changes proposed and residents didn’t feel they are being allowed to be part of the process. “The Southworth folks always get the short end of the stick,” Angel wrote in her letter. “They are not being heard! It sounds like you are having meetings for meetings sake.” Angel said residents are asking for another meeting to “sit down and discuss the routes.” Angel stated that in Fauntleroy, ferry boats are leaving the docks half full because cars in line can’t get to the ferry and end up
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TIM MATTHES CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
driving around instead of waiting for the next ferry. She said cars at the Southworth dock get left behind because a portion of the boat is reserved for Vashon Island riders. “Let the people be heard, we are losing revenue,” Angel said. She said the survey results need to be analyzed and that it reflects the broad spectrum of residents who rely on the ferries. An online survey is available at www.wsdot. wa.gov/Ferries/Service/ScheduleProposals. htm. In 2012, WSD reported total ridership was
SEE ROUTES, A21
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Dannie Oliveaux/Staff Photo